Latest Military Tech Review

The top military technology news from around the web:

How Air Force’s BATMAN can steal power from an enemy
The BATMAN ensemble includes a small, chest mounted computer that provides airmen with real time logistical and tactical data. Program officials said that they are also working on speech recognition technology to keep special operators’ hands-free during combat. Engineers are also working on a personal wireless communications network that will connect all of an airman’s equipment without the need for wires and cables.

Army May Issue iPhones to New Recruits
In an effort to reach a more gadget-savvy youth market and cut down on old-school dead tree manuals, the Army could begin issuing iPhones to new recruits as both an incentive (as if they need one in this economy) and to use during basic training and beyond as a learning tool.

On AF B-Day Are Pilots Soon to be Stamped ‘Obsolete?’
[The] specter of obsolescence is beginning to haunt some of the most tech-savvy men and women in America – Air Force pilots – as the service looks toward an unmanned air fleet capable of any and every kind of combat and support role, from close air support to cargo and refueling; a fleet “smart” enough to work together, even “swarming” to carry out tactical and strategic missions.

Iranian Military Equipped with Anti-Stealth Technology
Iran’s military has become proficient in the technology to produce stealth-aircraft detection systems, Iranian deputy commander Brigadier General Mohammad Hassan Mansourian said. “With our present technology to produce radars with different ranges, we can definitely detect enemies’ stealth warplanes,” he said.

DARPA and Boeing to Develop Solar-Powered Aircraft
Boeing has been selected by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and fly the SolarEagle unmanned aircraft for the Vulture II demonstration programme. Under the $89m contract, Boeing will develop a full-scale flight demonstrator, including maturation of the critical power system and structures technologies.

Tyrannos flying military car idea avoids road obstacles by flying
The design of a flying car is almost certainly the most conventional symbol of the future. Aerospace is the newest start up to revive those fantasies, and as you can see from the idea shot above, they’re aiming high. Called the Tyrannos, the latest flying car to come on our radar is a four-wheeler that has four small rotating wings to get it off the ground.

NASA pursues horizontal launch systems
NASA is trying to use existing technologies in new ways to design an entirely novel launch technology. If it works, the new launch system would propel a space vehicle down a track or on a sled until it’s moving fast enough to launch and escape Earth’s atmosphere into space.